New Santa Cruz Stigmata and Juliana Quincy gravel bikes revealed

The previous Santa Cruz Stigmata was already a bit of an outlier when it broke ground in 2015, abandoning pretenses of being a pure cyclocross racer in favor of a more versatile geometry that was better suited to all-around drop-bar hooliganism. Four years later, it’s safe to say that Santa Cruz was prescient in that approach, and the new Stigmata — and the Juliana Quincy sister model — continue that story arc, moving further into the gravel and adventure territory while still retaining the predecessor’s wide appeal.

Evolution, not revolution

Santa Cruz fans that were hoping the company would take a bold leap forward with this next-generation Stigmata may be disappointed, as these new models represent more of a gradual progression in a direction already established, rather than a complete change of tack. If anything, the changes arguably make the new Stigmata more mainstream amongst its competitors, rather than the pseudo-rebel that it once was.

First and foremost, the new bikes have a little more tire clearance than before. While the previous Stigmata could comfortably clear 700x41c gravel tires, the updated frame and fork can now swallow 700x45c tires, or knobby 650b ones up to 2.1in-wide. Discreet fender mounts are included front and rear as well — previously, there were none — and there’s now a third bottle mount for extra water-hauling capacity.

Both chainstays are now slightly dropped to eke out a little more drivetrain and tire clearance, with the driveside stay dipping down a bit further still.

Curiously omitted, however, are mounts for a bento box-style top tube bag, or eyelets for a frame bag, both of which are likely to be popular add-ons for buyers in this segment.

If the higher-volume tires don’t provide as much cushioning as you’d like, Santa Cruz says the new Stigmata’s revamped shape and carbon fiber lay-up yield a smoother ride quality, too.

Other details include a shift from a PF30 press-fit bottom bracket to a traditional threaded one (yay!), 12mm front and rear thru-axles, internal cable routing with provisions for mechanical and electronic drivetrains, a clamp-on front derailleur mount for cleaner-looking 1x drivetrain setups, a molded guard for the driveside chainstay, and a conventional 27.2mm-diameter round seatpost. Particularly progressive riders will also appreciate that Santa Cruz has provided routing for stealth-style internal dropper post lines, too.

Santa Cruz now uses two different fork rakes for the Stigmata for more consistent handling and fit across the size range.

Frame geometry hasn’t changed dramatically, either, although there are some definite trends to note. Reach dimensions have shortened just a few millimeters almost across the board, and stack heights have grown by slightly greater amounts — but still by no more than 15mm, and that’s only on the largest 60cm size. Bottom brackets have dropped by 1-5mm for more stable handling, however, and there’s more standover clearance than before, too.

Perhaps as a sign of the Stigmata’s popularity — and of the gravel segment in general — Santa Cruz has ditched its previous one-size-fits-all approach to fork rake in favor of two separate molds for the new bike. Frame sizes 54cm and greater get a 48mm rake, while smaller models get 50mm in order to retain the desired handling characteristics without inducing too much toe overlap.

The Quincy is arguably the one to have

The Santa Cruz Stigmata is joined by a women-specific model called the Quincy, which falls under the company’s dedicated Juliana label. From a functional standpoint, it’s 100% identical to the Stigmata, using the same frame molds, carbon fiber blends, and lay-up schedules. However, the Quincy is available in a more limited size range that tops out at 54cm, but goes down to a brand-new 49cm size that will supposedly accommodate riders down to 1.52m (5ft 0in) tall.

Despite the more compact dimensions, that smallest size still retains the same tire clearance as the bigger sizes, and includes the same assortment of accessory mounts.

The gorgeous translucent paint on the Quincy arguably makes this version the one to have.

The Quincy is offered in just a single color — the Stigmata gets two — but everyone I spoke to at the media launch event prior to this year’s Sea Otter Classic agreed that it was far more striking than either of the Stigmata’s subdued pastel hues. Juliana has graced the Quincy with a gorgeous, deep blue/green translucent color, along with neat detailing that isn’t included on the Stigmata.

Lots of build kit options

Santa Cruz and Juliana will offer the Stigmata and Quincy in a fairly wide selection of complete build kits, including Shimano Ultegra, and SRAM Rival, Force eTap AXS, and Red eTap AXS groupsets, all with the option of upgrading to Santa Cruz’s superb Reserve carbon wheels.

Santa Cruz hedged its bets with the previous-generation Stigmata, saying it was just as happy on the cyclocross course as it was heading out on a casual gravel ride. But with this latest update, it feels more keenly focused on the latter, with much less emphasis on taking on the competition when it comes time to hit the barriers.

Tube shapes on the Santa Cruz Stigmata are mostly round or rounded rectangles, which have been proven to be very efficient from a structural point of view. And what about aerodynamics? Sorry, not a concern here.

These 27.5×2.0in WTB Ranger knobbies fit through the frame and fork with plenty of room to spare. Choose your setup carefully, though, for while this particular combo was great when the going got loose, it was also slow-rolling and vague on pavement.

Santa Cruz has thankfully ditched the PF30 press-fit shell of the previous-generation Stigmata in favor of a conventional English threaded one.

It’s nice to see that Santa Cruz includes a third bottle mount on the revamped Stigmata, but this location is of questionable utility.

A small rubber plug seals the housing stop when using wireless drivetrains.

Cable routing is internal via a set of interchangeable housing stops.

In addition to being dropped, the driveside chainstay is also extremely thin to provide more clearance.

Sister brand Juliana is marketing the Quincy as a women-specific version of the Stigmata, but aside from an additional frame size at the lower end, a distinct paint job, and slightly different spec on complete bikes, the Quincy is identical to the Stigmata.

The Juliana Quincy also features additional detailing that the more subdued Stigmata does without.

The new frame geometry boasts a lower center of gravity, more standover clearance, shorter reach dimensions, and slightly taller front ends than before.

The molded chainstay guard is a nice touch.

Flat-mount brakes are used front and rear, along with 12mm-diameter thru-axles.

Complete Juliana Quincys get wider women-specific Ergon saddles and a few other minor (but important) tweaks relative to the Stigmata.

Easton flared handlebars are featured across the board on complete builds.

Media rides often start out fairly mellow, but inevitably devolve into an all-out race. But for whatever reason, everyone’s attitudes when aboard the Stigmata and Quincy were decidedly chill. We spent about fifteen minutes at this spot checking out a bunch of salamanders, and no one was itching to get going again.

The Santa Cruz Stigmata’s more stable handling seems well suited to mixed terrain, particularly when the ground is loose and you’re sliding through corners. Photo: Santa Cruz Bicycles.

Some of us went over the fallen tree, while others went around. But everyone was smiling.

I don’t recall doing a ride that took so long to cover a relatively short distance. But no one was complaining (and the extra Rice Krispies Treats I stashed in my handlebar bag were delectable by this point).

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